When a law enforcement officer makes a traffic stop, the officer exits his or her vehicle and approaches the stopped vehicle, generally by walking beside one of the driver or passenger sides of the stopped vehicle. During the portion of the traffic stop that the law enforcement officer is outside of his or her vehicle, the officer is in some ways more physically exposed than when in his or her vehicle in case the driver or another occupant of the car does something unexpected, such as driving off, driving toward the officer or the officer's vehicle, reaching for or using a weapon, attempting to dispose of contraband, etc. It is thus important for the law enforcement officer to maintain observational awareness of the stopped vehicle, all occupants, and the general surroundings during this time for the officer's own safety and for detecting important information relative to any legal or safety violations related to the stopped vehicle or its occupants.
Also, in many routine traffic stops, the law enforcement officer also returns to his or her own vehicle after initial contact on tasks such as communicating with other officers, checking occupant or vehicle information electronically or via two-way communication device, preparing a traffic citation, etc. At such point, while the law enforcement office may have attention focused on such tasks, it may be more difficult to monitor the stopped vehicle and its occupants. Such point is a time when some drivers of stopped vehicles drive off before being dismissed by the law enforcement officers.
Accordingly, certain devices have been developed for placement near the tire of a stopped vehicle that will puncture the tire if the vehicle is driven away before the stop is completed. The devices also serve to influence the driver of a stopped vehicle not to flee by driving away before being dismissed, as the driver would know doing so would result in a deflated tire rendering fleeing by vehicle futile. While existing devices work well for their intended purposes, deployment of existing devices requires a certain amount of the law enforcement officer's line of sight and attention in general to be diverted away from the vehicle and its occupants and toward deploying the devices around a tire.
Accordingly, improvements would be welcome for devices that disable a vehicle, influence a driver not to drive away, reduce danger to a law enforcement officer, and/or address one or more drawbacks of current devices or any other issues.